2.8: Dueling Bens: Arnold, Franklin, and the Turning Point at Saratoga

One man was all-in for independence dating back to the years before the first shots at Lexington and Concord, while the other held out hope for a moderate solution and was even accused of holding sympathies to the British cause.  One is Benjamin Franklin, and the other is Benedict Arnold, and both will play a role in the Battle of Saratoga in upstate New York, one as a soldier, the other as a politician attempting to win allies to the American cause.  It’s this critical turning point that forms the basis of today’s story.  On this episode of History: beyond the Textbook, we explore the Revolutionary lives and actions of the Dueling Bens: Franklin, Arnold, and the turning point of the American Revolution.

Key People
Benjamin Franklin
Benedict Arnold
General Johnny Burgoyne
Margaret "Peggy" Shippen
General Horatio Gates

Key Events
Battle of Saratoga
Franco-American Alliance
Invasion of Canada

The third season of History: Beyond the Textbook focuses on the stories of individuals who shaped "America's Crucial Years" of 1783-1790, and runs from October 8-December 24. Catch up on Season One, "America's Colonial Era," and Season Two, "America's Revolution," wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Feel free to contact us with feedback or questions by clicking the "Send Us a Text" link or email us at: hbttpodcast@gmail.com

Transcript

One man was all-in for independence dating back to the years before the first shots at Lexington and Concord, while the other held out hope for a moderate solution and was even accused of holding sympathies to the British cause.  One is Benjamin Franklin, and the other is Benedict Arnold, but would you guess that the first explanation described Arnold, while the second describes Dr. Franklin?  The two held differing views about where their loyalties lay before independence, would converge in the early years of the war, and then veer off in completely opposite directions near war’s end.  Before this divergence occurs, both will play a role in the Battle of Saratoga in upstate New York, one as a soldier, the other as a politician attempting to win allies to the American cause.  It’s this critical turning point that forms the basis of today’s story.  On this episode of History: beyond the Textbook, we explore the Revolutionary lives and actions of the Dueling Bens: Franklin, Arnold, and the turning point of the American Revolution.

Act I: The October Surprise

We first alluded to Saratoga last week in explaining the role that Joseph Brant played during the war since Indigenous fighters factored into Britain’s grand scheme.  It’s 1777, and the British we relooking to recover from the setbacks against the Americans at Trenton and Princeton. In spite of these defeats, General Howe still held New York City, and a sizeable force led by “Gentleman” Johnny Burgoyne was still in Montreal, Canada.  The plan was simple enough: General Burgoyne was to lead his forces down Lake Champlain and the Hudson River en route to Albany, a crucial trading juncture and New York’s current capital.  A second force was to push east from Mohawk country to divert American resources and potentially reach Albany as well; this group was to include Loyalist and Indigenous allies like Brant.  Yet a third British force was to leave New York City and approach Albany from the south, and these presumably successful thrusts would serve to isolate the troublesome New England colonies from New York and Pennsylvania.  The third part of the plan never materialized, but to his end, General Burgoyne left Montreal with 9,500 troops as well as hundreds of civilians and “camp followers,” as often accompany an army.  They did capture U.S.-held Fort Ticonderoga, and forced the Americans to retreat as they advanced, but the logistics of moving so many people and supplies through the wilderness was time-consuming, and many of the Indigenous scouts who proved invaluable to Burgoyne would not remain for the entire march.  Horatio Gates, newly appointed head of the Northern Army, was to be the man who led the opposition to this supposed three-pronged British approach, and it was known that he desired General Washington’s commission for himself.  However, when combined with the slogging pace of British forces, America owed much of its success at Saratoga to the efforts of a man who General Washington regarded as a brave and noble warrior: Benedict Arnold.

Act II: Political Ben

Before we address the man whose name is synonymous with the word “traitor,” we’ll spend a little time on the man who factored heavily into the political efforts surrounding Saratoga: Benjamin Franklin.  We’ve already acknowledged Franklin in a few different contexts this season: he was a driving force behind the Albany Plan of Union along with Thomas Hutchinson, met with Phillis Wheatly in London when she sought publication of her manuscript, and served on the “Committee of Five” to produce a Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress.  His life has been written about extensively, so we’ll provide the abridged version of his Revolutionary credentials leading up to Saratoga.

Keep in mind that by the time the Revolution rolled around, Benjamin Franklin was essentially in the twilight of his life and was considerably well-known for his literary and scientific achievements.  Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston to a candlemaker, but that life would hold little appeal to the youngster.  He instead was apprenticed to his older brother, James, who had just entered the printing trade.  We use the phrase “apprentice,” but the terms of this agreement were more along the lines of indentured servitude.  During this time, Franklin would write some of his first public satires using the pseudonym “Silence Dogood,” starting a habit that he would continue for most of his life: using an assumed identity to further his talents as America’s first humorist.  Six years into his employment with his brother, Franklin also decided that he no longer wanted to honor the terms of his admittedly unfair contract, so the nearly 18-year old Franklin left Boston and found a new home in Philadelphia.  This is where he would begin to make a name for himself, first as a printer, writer, and publisher, then as an innovator and intellectual.  His “Pennsylvania fireplace” became a sought-after commodity, he experimented with electricity upon his retirement from full-time printing, and even found time to help found an academy for Philadelphia youth.  He got involved in Pennsylvania politics in the 1750’s, understanding early on that the unification of the thirteen colonies would lead to a powerful state; granted, this state would exist within the British Empire, so Franklin would arrive late to the metaphorical party on the subject of complete independence from England.  In 1757, he was appointed as Pennsylvania’s “agent to England” to speak and listen on their behalf in Parliament, but not to vote on any measures.  By this time, he also had been appointed as deputy postmaster-general for His Majesty’s colonies, allowing him to lay the groundwork for an efficient communication system that would come in handy in the early 1770’s.

By and large, Franklin would spend much of the next two decades in London serving as agent for Pennsylvania, adding other colonies along the way.  He was in England when debate over the Stamp Act culminated in its passage by the House of Commons, and he believed that Parliament enjoyed the right to regulate trade in her colonies using taxes and tariffs; this was, after all, the same man who declared five years earlier, “I am a Briton.”  In fact, he returned to North America for a brief spell in the early 1760’s, and upon his return to London, had intended to permanently remain.  However, his insistence that Parliament should not pass the Stamp Act was predicated on his belief that, due to a lack of voting representatives, this tax on the colonies may be illegal.  He was alarmed at the rioting that accompanied the protests over the law back home, espousing the same cautious nature as John Adams, but he provided official testimony that led to its repeal.  Over the following years, Franklin would be accused of siding with the British as the latter attempted to address colonial reactions to their laws, but any perceived sympathies with England diminished in 1772 when Franklin gained possession of the private correspondence of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and his brother-in-law Andrew Oliver.  These letters seemed to confirm that, contrary to his public stances, Hutchinson had ordered a crackdown on dissidence in Massachusetts…so Franklin sent them back to America for publication.  Despite the political firestorm this caused, there was a belief that Franklin could serve as a mediating force between the more radical Americans and the British government; this belief would end in January 1774 when the now famous Dr. Benjamin Franklin would be cross-examined in a place called the cockpit.  The purpose of this was to determine who had been behind the public exposure of Hutchinson and Oliver’s letters, and the fact that word had recently reached London of the Boston Tea Party added to English fury towards any American.  Solicitor General Alexander Wedderburn insulted and slandered Franklin in front of a public audience that included Prime Minster Lord North and the Archbishop of Canterbury.  He attempted to paint Franklin as a ringleader of the burgeoning rebels, and accused Franklin of desiring the Massachusetts governorship for himself.  Franklin would remain silent through all the accusations, and although he would remain in London until the following spring, his efforts to bridge the divide between the two sides would be in vein.  Franklin returned to America shortly before Lexington and Concord, and following these engagements, the Continental Congress, and the needs of his nation, would occupy his time.

Act III: Warrior Ben

So Ben Franklin is back in America to assume his political duties that will eventually bear relevance to Saratoga; remember, he had once stated “I am a Briton” and now was a leading proponent of full-fledged independence.  Now it’s time to focus on the man who began as a full-blown Revolutionary, but ended the war on the British side: Benedict Arnold.

Arnold was born to a fairly well-to-do Connecticut family in January 1741 and was named after his great-grandfather, a former Rhode Island Governor.  His father’s alcoholism would plague the family in Arnold’s early years, and by 1761, both of his parents would be gone and he would have to independently figure out how to navigate his future.  What would carry him during the tough times, for better or for worse, were his pride, courage, and his vanity.  After 13 days of service in the French and Indian War at age 16, Arnold would establish himself as a businessman and enjoy a fair degree of success, but the Sugar Act in 1764 put a damper on his trade in the West Indies, and the Stamp Act even prompted him to join his local Sons of Liberty.  Ironic that the man who would betray his nation during the Revolution actually began the pre-war years as radical as Dr. Joseph Warren; he certainly would be considered more of a Patriot than Ben Franklin was at this time.  His recorded response to the news of the Boston Massacre was to declare, “Good God, are the Americans all asleep and tamely giving up their glorious liberties,” and his response to Lexington and Concord was to march off with a company of volunteers in the direction of the fighting.  It was Benedict Arnold who convinced Dr. Joseph Warren and his Massachusetts Committee of Public Safety that the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga and its massive cannons would certainly aid in the Patriot cause.  As he marched into upstate New York as a newly commissioned Colonel, he was forced to share command with Ethan Allan…the same Ethan Allen who would end the year as a prisoner transported to London with Joseph Brant.  They captured the fort and seized the cannons, but Arnold also had the wherewithal to take control of Lake Champlain.  Benedict Arnold was establishing himself as a real man of action.

Arnold continued his rise to military prominence in summer 1775, during the attempted U.S. invasion of Canada; in addition to potentially bringing Canada into the fold as an ally, the plan was to capture Montreal and Quebec before the British had the chance to reinforce these settlements.  This would potentially stave off any British invasion from the North that would strike via the Hudson River, and we know from Act I that this is exactly what General Burgoyne would attempt.  Benedict Arnold wasn’t given command of the expedition, but he took charge in leading 1,200 men through the forests of northern Maine for a surprise attack on Quebec.  He emerged from this march with only 700 men, and Quebec was infamous for its geographic position as a nearly impenetrable hilltop citadel along the mighty St. Lawrence River.  His reduced numbers, along with the imposing nature of Quebec, didn’t stop Arnold from demanding that the British surrender the city.  He wasn’t able to commence with an assault until he was joined by General Montgomery, who had recently taken Montreal, and their attack began in a Christmas Eve snowstorm; this resulted in the death of General Montgomery and a serious injury to Arnold’s left leg.  While recovering in a military hospital, the two Ben’s came face-to-face as Franklin was part of a Congressional commission appointed to determine the need for reinforcements in Canada.  After consultation with Arnold, Franklin recommended funding for these additional troops, but also a retreat if it wasn’t feasible…and that’s exactly what Arnold did in May 1776 as commander of Montreal.  Much as Washington would demonstrate in Long Island that fall, Arnold would take pains to be the “last man out” as the army left, and his aide would chalk it up to his vanity.  The now Brigadier General Arnold would spend the ensuing months cultivating good relations with Generals Philip Schuyler, Horatio Gates, and Even Washington, but when the time came, Congress wouldn’t promote him to Major-General.  Part of this was timing: Congress had recently determined that each colony would have no more than two Major-Generals, and Connecticut already met their quota, so five men were promoted over Arnold.  He fumed and stewed, and some believe that this slight is when he began to soften his stance on being a staunch Patriot.

However, Arnold’s actions in fall 1777 certainly indicated that he was in still favor of The Cause, if not in search of battlefield glory.  By this time, Franklin was in France as part of a three-man team attempting to convince that government to formally assist the Americans in their war effort; to their end, the Americans needed to deliver concrete proof that they were worthy of said assistance.  Arnold had received his promotion by this point, although the five men promoted ahead of him would still outrank him; the whole incident prompted Arnold to tender his resignation to General Washington, which the General rejected, along with orders to report north in the direction of the recently fallen Fort Ticonderoga.  Horatio Gates had just replaced Philip Schuyler as commander of the Northern Army, and Gates knew that Arnold was a talented fighter, yet possessed a brash and hot-headed personality.  Nevertheless, he was placed in charge of a force that included light infantry and Virginia riflemen that amounted to modern-day sharpshooters.  General Burgoyne’s men had been slogging through the wilderness without the aid of their Indigenous scouts when Arnold’s men first struck on September 18, 1777.  Eager to follow up, Arnold was restrained by Gates and forced to wait with him atop their fortified position, but Arnold eventually joined the fray, and the men under his command were responsible for many British casualties in combat.  Still, Arnold was relieved of his command after what was then called the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, and the meeting in which Gates stripped Arnold of his formal leadership role was contentious and resulted in mutual profanities and insults.  Arnold would remain in this area near Saratoga and participate in the subsequent Battle of Bemis Heights on October 7, 1777.  Going against Gates’s orders to avoid the battle, Arnold rode into the field and even gave the order to target British officers to bring confusion to the enemy.  He was shot in the same leg that had ben wounded in Canada, but the Americans had won the field, emerging victorious at what would be called the “Battle of Saratoga.”  Whether or not he was supposed to participate, Benedict Arnold played a crucial role in securing this victory, although the actions of General Gates to publicly claim credit would further alienate Arnold from the American side.

Act IV: Friendship and Betrayal

So, the Northern Army would emerge from upstate New York not only victorious, but with the whole of General Burgoyne’s army in their grasp.  Back in France, Ben Franklin had previously met with the French Foreign Minister and received an acknowledgement that he would be open to reading Franklin’s account of America’s efforts against Great Britain, and therefore, a potential alliance.  Publicly, France was noncommittal as to their support of the Americans, but privately, support came in the form of trade and loans.  Franklin worked for nearly all of 1777 to gather as many allies as he could among the French court and its people.  He was, after all, the esteemed Dr. Franklin, the American who was most well-known to all Europeans.  AS he sought to curry favor, he was also bombarded with requests for commissions in the Continental Army.  To be fair, some of these seekers believed in The Cause, but most were looking for money, which was currently in short supply in America.  However, three of Franklin’s endorsements would pan out: Polishman Casimir Pulaski, Prussian Baron von Steuben, and Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette.  Again, the “hits” were few and far between as most wanted money; they had this in common with the Americans as it became Franklin’s primary focus around the time of Saratoga.  He was also advocating for an alliance with Spain, so he was in negotiations with Spain’s ambassador to Paris.  The breakthrough arrived in early December 1777, just two days after King George III “fell into agonies” upon hearing the news of Burgoyne’s defeat.  A Boston merchant approached Franklin at his Paris residence, prompting Franklin to ask, “Sir, is Philadelphia taken?”  This merchant, Jonathan Loring Austin, replied, “Yes, sir.  But I have greater news than that.  General Burgoyne and his whole army are prisoners of war!”  Franklin raced to inform his contacts of this glorious news, and despite the efforts of British envoys to prevent it, the news of Saratoga provided the American negotiators with what they desired: two treaties with France, one military, one of what was called “amity and commerce.”  The efforts of American commander Benedict Arnold resulted in a incredible diplomatic victory for Ben Franklin.

But we know that Benedict Arnold won’t remain an American commander for the length of the war, so our questions become “why” and “how” did he decide to “turn coat?”  While it is believed that he was especially bitter at being passed over for promotion, he still displayed gallantry at Saratoga in the aftermath of this afront to his pride.  It would appear that the start of Arnold’s path toward betrayal was an appointment for which he was vastly underqualified: that of military commander of Philadelphia.  Arnold recovered from his injuries at Saratoga, although his left leg would be shorter than his right for the rest of his life.  During his recovery, the British would reconsider their occupation of Philadelphia following their 8-month stay to solidify their position in New York City.  Having sworn his loyalty oath the previous month, a recent requirement of all American officers, Benedict Arnold received his appointment straight from General Washington on June 18, 1778, which was conveniently when the British and many of their Loyalist allies left the city.  One family that remained and were reported to have questionable allegiances were the Shippens, and 18-year old Margaret “Peggy” Shippen was the belle of the family.  Infamous for what would be her so-called “fits” throughout her life, Shippen was also stunningly beautiful, and her family connections made her a desirable match.  One week after his arrival in the city, Benedict Arnold wrote her a love letter and even assured her father that a dowry would be unnecessary should they wed: Arnold was improperly using his position to attempt to gain material wealth, so he didn’t feel as though money would be a problem.  He was also a terrible administrator who did next to nothing to reconcile the returning Patriot and lingering Loyalist factions in Philadelphia.  His bold nature kept getting him in trouble, and former Congressman Joseph Reed even drew up charges of misconduct against the Military Governor.  Arnold had committed illegal acts in Philadelphia, but Reed’s charges were mostly meritless, so Arnold resented his treatment, finding solace in his April 1779 marriage to Peggy Shippen.  Its unknown which factor was the tipping point, but everything Arnold had experienced: being passed over for promotion, denied credit for his exploits in battle, having his reputation sullied by Joseph Redd, and marrying a presumed Loyalist…pushed him to betray the oath he had taken at Valley Forge in May 1778.

When Ben Franklin caught wind of the treason of Benedict Arnold in September 1780, he was still in France attempting to negotiate prisoner releases using intermediaries.  Franklin is said to have stated, “Arnold’s baseness and treachery is astonishing!”  What had Arnold done?  Well, he got himself appointed commander of West Point, current home of the U.S. Military Academy.  In 1780, West Point was a crucial fort along the Hudson River, so control of this strategic point would allow its possessor to control the frontier.  Arnold had already begun passing secrets to the British shortly after his marriage to Peggy, and he had contacted General Clinton in New York with a plan to hand West Point to the British in exchange for monetary compensation and a commission in the British Army.  Remember those previous plans Arnold had to profit and prosper as Philadelphia’s Military Governor?  They never materialized, so he found himself saddled with debts that he felt were exacerbated by his service to a country that didn’t appreciate him.  His contact for the exchange of the fort was Major John Andre, a British officer whom the Shippens knew from his time in Philadelphia when he tried to win Peggy’s heart.  The plan was foiled at the eleventh hour by Andre’s carelessness: he gave up his identity to a group of Americans in Hessian uniforms, and one of them was part of Washington’s spy ring.  The documents on Andre’s person sealed his and Arnold’s fate.  Arnold fled to New York City behind British lines, and feigning, or perhaps experiencing, hysteria, Peggy was allowed to join him.  Andre was left to his fate at the gallows.  Washington would first respond to Arnold’s treachery by claiming “Whom can we trust now,” but later claimed, “While his faculties will enable him to continue his sordid pursuits, there will be no time for remorse.”  Arnold had truly committed an unforgivable act, and since West point was never surrendered to the British, he was held in low regard.  And thus the paths of the two Bens completely diverged: the political Ben would continue his work on negotiating the end of the war and helping to found a new republic.  The warrior Ben would no longer be so, languishing in obscurity in Canada, then England, dying in 1801 with the reputation of a man without honor.  Benjamin Franklin is remembered as one of America’s great Founding Fathers, while Benedict Arnold isn’t even mentioned by name on any monument that could highlight his achievements.